Mixed Drinks
by nutm3g
Summary: After going off to college, reality hits Danny in the face like a brick: Growing up can be a lonely process. What happens when the first blast from the past is an unpleasant surprise, and the second is an enemy looking to get a job at the same place as him? Rated M for language and future situations. (DannyxDash)
1. Loneliness

His only beacon of light was diminishing.

Diminishing like the glow of plasma as it died away.

And what was he to do, sit around and wait for it to regain that magnificent glow that lit up his life with gleams of hope and happiness? It had been years since the last ghost attack. Months since he'd seen his family, Tucker, Sam… hell, Danny hadn't even seen any old rivals from the ghost zone in ages, either! Granted, they weren't on the best of terms, but he managed to work up mutual agreements with a majority of them, and had even gotten used to them popping in every now and then to fool with him or play pranks on the three.

But those were his high school days.

Could it have been that they had no idea of his move away from home, of his enrollment in a university and the beginning of his life?

A feeling of unease made itself present as it curled up in the pit of his stomach. Surely they'd be able to find him with no trouble. They found him in various places ranging from school to out of town malls all those other times. Black brows furrowed as the halfa went into a deeper concentration. Everybody had gone off the radar ever since Danny had arrived at his first ever dorm. For the first time since he had acquired his ghostly abilities, Danny felt isolated from the world.

* * *

><p>"Hurry up, Danny, or we're leaving without youuuuu!" shouted Sam as loud as she could from the other side of his bedroom window as the halfa frantically searched about for his gloves. Feeling the anxiety of rushing around get to him, the teen unlocked his window and hoisted the glass up, popping his head out into the snowy outdoors.<p>

"Just gimme a minute, I can't find my stupid gloves!" Danny bellowed back, heaving out an irritated sigh as he ducked back into his room and shut the window before the snickering goth got the chance to launch a snowball at his face.

After a few more minutes of tearing his room apart, the dark-haired male let out a gleeful "Aha!" upon locating the leather gloves. How they managed to get underneath his bed was beyond him. Not even a second glance was given to his pigsty of a room once the gloves covered his hands, and he raced out and down the stairs, only pausing to give his mother a kiss on the cheek. He opened the door with the widest of grins, and-

"… Guys?" Danny took a few cautious steps forward, the fear of being ambushed having had instilled within him. But as he trudged further ahead, he realized that he was alone. Had they really gone off without him?

"Mom, did you see where Sam and Tucker went?" he yelled loud enough, hoping his mother had heard him from inside the house. No answer. Slowly, he turned around, and his blue hues widened. Where had his house gone?

"Why is everyone gone..?"

Danny woke with a start, pale hands trembling from the sorrow that made itself present in his mind while he slept. A cold dampness pressed against his cheek; he'd been subconsciously crying. It was no wonder, a dream like that could probably make anyone cry! Sniffling quietly, Danny slumped over the edge of his bed and got to his feet, a shiver creeping up his spine as soon as his body had left the warm blankets.

Any other day, the halfa would've stayed curled up in bed while his mother brought him hot chocolate with loads of marshmallows. Then again, it wasn't often that he had such sorrowful dreams. Or cried in his sleep. Hell, the last time he woke up crying was after watching "It" when he was six.

But this was college, not high school.

Missing classes on account of being down in the dumps was a guaranteed failure. The only good excuse to actually have to miss a class was if one literally couldn't get out of bed due to illness. And Danny was here to build up the start of his life. There was no time for feeling blue! Unlike his high school years, he planned to enjoy college, and that was that.

"Why are you open..?" he mused to the window in a mutter through chattering teeth.

Was it so bad to disregard it? Of course. He, of all people, knew better than to believe he'd just gotten up himself in the middle of the night and opened the window on his own. While possible, well.. Danny often felt that something was messing with him, to put it simply.

He crossed the room in hesitation, hands poised as if to defend himself from anything that might be lingering about, before he at last hoisted the window shut with a breath of relief. Pausing momentarily, Danny stood before the window, tiredly lidded eyes peering out to quietly scan the sky ahead; widening when something small, nearly insignificant caught his gaze.

Just a few inches away from him, beyond the protective glass, fell little, white flakes. Snow drifted down to the earth in a leisurely pace, only to pile up onto the few feet that had already fallen. His fingertips brushed against the glass to leave the fogged images of prints, as though pining to feel the cool frost against his skin.

"I really hope that it was you that triggered my dream," he whispered solemnly. Maybe the first few classes of the semester would be canceled now. If anything but the dream, at least it would give him a chance to call his parents.


	2. You're Here, Too?

"Yes, mom. I have everything I need." The over-the-phone conversation with his mother lasted longer than he'd expected…

"Oh, but are you sure? Your father and I could stop by real quick to drop off anything you need, honey!"

No matter what age he was, his mother would always play the part of the overprotective, mother hen who somehow morphed into a bear when her children were in danger. Danny could only wonder how the woman would be when he and Jazz were well into their fifties.

Lanky limbs spread themselves out over the bed he lay upon, phone laying upon his chest with the screen faced down so the other end of the conversation wouldn't be muffled.

"Mooooom, I promise i'm fine. I was actually looking through the campus newspaper for a job. Maybe I can finally pursue that dream of becoming a stripper."

The woman on the other end of the line released a quiet chuckle upon hearing the grin in her son's voice, and Danny could already imagine that warm smile gracing her face, regardless of the crude joke.

At the mentioning of the job search, an arm outstretched to where the aforementioned newspaper lay atop the nightstand and tugged it over, one hand resting underneath his head while the other held the thin paper up.

The thought of getting a job was terrifying, to say the least. It wasn't the whole idea of working, no, but the idea of working in a new place with new faces that Danny knew he would eventually have to remember. Maybe if the halfa were back home, sure. At least there he recognized half the town and practically the entire high school by his senior year. Being the town's hero helped on that end.

Then it hit him.

Ghosts came and went because, well, unfortunately deaths happened more than once every day. Suicides, stabbings, car accidents, you name it. How long would it be before he had to become_ this_ town's hero? The nausea hit him like a massive wave crashing against a ship caught in a bad storm.

"Mom, uh... I'll call you back, okay?"

A pang of guilt hit him when he heard the grief in his mother's goodbye, but the nausea was stronger.

Scrambling off the bed with no regard to his phone crashing to the floor or the door he'd left wide open, Danny hurried down the hall of dorm rooms, pushing through small crowds of other students with a hand clamped over his mouth, and to the bathroom. He'd never been more thankful for a restroom being empty, other than the times he needed to go ghost.

His knees hit the floor with a dull thud, sending a brief shock of pain through his bones before he bent over the porcelain bowl and gave into the need to vomit. Over the sounds of retching, the faint distinctions of chattering reached his ears. If that voice didn't sound familiar, he didn't know what did. Once the clearing of his stomach was finally over with, Danny flushed the contents away with a grimace and haphazardly leaned against the stall wall.

A quiet "You okay in there?" was directed to him, to which he answered with a weak "yeah".

Time to get out, Fenton, he told himself, body finally receiving the signal to pick itself up and. Boy, Danny was _not_ ready, nor was he all too pleased, to see Kwan's face on his first step out of the stall. How bad was his luck?

"So you're attending this university, too?" Of course Kwan would want to stick around for a chat.

Because puking one's guts out wasn't enough to drive someone away.

But at the least the once-bully was being kind enough (strange as it was) to watch over him, which primarily meant drag him to the cafeteria for a drink of water and something to settle his stomach, and make sure he wasn't on the verge of passing out. Which he was. At least he knew where the cafeteria was now.

"Yeah, kinda...," Danny muttered in response low enough in hopes that the taller one couldn't hear. But to no avail. Kwan was as persistent as ever. Maybe even more so than back in high school. A slap to the back was the former athlete's response, followed by a sheepish chuckle and an apologetic grin. After a year and some months of maturing, it was no surprise that Kwan's strength hadn't diminished.

"That's great! What's your major?"

Great, he had to tell him what his major was, too? Might as well have tea with the dude and call it a day. _Just_ as Danny opened his mouth to reluctantly sigh out his response, though, a harmonic beeping sounded through the air to distract the taller of the two. The words lingering on his tongue morphed to a sigh of relief as Kwan busied himself with his phone, before giving Danny a much gentler pat on the shoulder.

"Sorry 'bout that, dude, but I gotta head out. Man, I can't wait to tell Dash you're here, too! See ya soon!"

And with his final parting words, Kwan disappeared into the crowd of the cafeteria he'd previously lugged Danny to. Horrified wasn't quite the word for how the halfa felt.

Dash was here? Could Danny have died and went to Hell? Because it sure felt like it. And as the snow outside began to leisurely cascade from the evening sky, shaded in colors of dark clouds stretching over the deep pinks and purples of the sky, Danny felt his hopes of getting away from the abuse being covered in a blanket of frost.


	3. New Jobs

**Again, sorry for taking so long! Classes are killing me. Almost the end of the semester, though!**

* * *

><p>The next few hours were spent with little rest. The only highlight to his day was that the snow had begun to pile up on the campus, resulting in the class he had later towards the evening being cancelled, as well as the classes for the next few days (or unless the snow let up). Which meant Danny was <strong>free <strong>to stay cooped up in his room.

But could he just hide himself away from the rest of the world? Probably not the best idea. Even halfas had to eat and, coincidentally, he had yet to do his grocery shopping. Or look into that job offer... Shit.

After a long shower and some heavy contemplation (the majority of his shower, in fact), Danny decided on bundling himself up and venturing into the outside world for the rations he would need.

He put on the combat boots Sam had gotten him for his previous birthday, something he cherished a bit too closely, before getting himself all snug in the black pea coat his mother had gotten him for the same occasion. It was probably smart to bring a scarf, maybe a pair of gloves in case his fingers froze over from the wind that sounded all too bitter, but the thick coat hugging his forever effeminate frame (Sam and Tucker would never leave him alone with that), ending just above his thighs, was warm enough. Or so he hoped.

"C'mon, Fenton... You have to leave sooner or later." And with those final words of encouragement, the halfa trudged out of his dorm building, eyes already squinting from the force of the agitated wind slapping him right in the middle of the face. Hell, he'd need a damn shovel just to get off the campus! Danny picked the perfect time to start the semester. Not that it was much if a choice for _him _to make.

A breathy sigh left his chapped lips, the carbon dioxide leaving his mouth in a cloud. This was the only part he enjoyed about being outside in the cold rather than watching from the window of a warm home,: the ability to breathe out those all-too familiar clouds of smoke and know that it was merely the weather causing such, rather than the presence of a ghost.

Then again, it made it all the worse to discern the presence of danger from the cold air itself.

And as a few minutes of stomping through the untouched sheets of snow passed, the amusement of watching the warm air from his lungs come in contact with the cold air wasn't enough to distract him from the chills that stung his cheeks a bright red.

Not to mention it only took him forever to get to the warm sanctity of his car. It was times like these that Danny was glad he decided to heed the warnings of upcoming bad weather and park on the right side of the street because, shit, the tow trucks sure were busy hauling away the cars of citizens to make room for plows. He made a mental note to keep his car in the parking lot from then on, _if _there were any open spots.

The drive to the grocery market wasn't too bad, at least. With the heat blaring, the music low enough to provide a comfortable atmosphere, and the streets nicely cleaned of the obstructing snow, Danny figured this town wouldn't be so bad after all. Albeit this was his only first impression he got of the place.

Cup Ramen, sliced bread, peanut butter, coffee, filters; It may have not been the healthiest of foods, but hey, it'd all suffice until he got that job… And with the groceries secured in the trunk of his car, the halfa now faced a new challenge. Having already filled out and sent in the application, all he had to do was stroll in, get to the manager, and make an appointment for an interview. Because that was how it usually went, right?

"Hi, I sent in an application a little while ago, and I was wondering if you guys got it?"

The tall man sitting parallel from him stared hard at the screen of his computer, appearing to be searching for said application. Though, he could have been looking at anything on the other side of that desk and not even listening.

"Daniel Fenton, right?"

Ah, so he _was_ listening. Danny nodded vigorously, hands wringing themselves with anxiety and worry once the older male began reading through it, mumbling the words to himself as he scanned over the words. Dark brows, sleek though thick with hints of gray hairs protruding off from the edges, perked up once he was done.

"Sounds pretty good, kid. I think we have room for you. But you'll be starting off with keeping the place neat and tidy."

Danny's jaw practically dropped. _That was it?_

"So I…" the last word drawled out because he just couldn't wrap his head around this, "I have the job..?" It couldn't have been that easy. "No interviews, nothing like that?"

The man - Alec, as could be read from his name tag - shook his head with a lighthearted smile planted on his lips.

"We're a little short on staff right now, and I got a good feeling about you."

He sat back in his chair, arms covered up to the elbows in the sleeves of a white button-up crossing over his chest. "And I promised my wife I'd go a little easier on new people. How's a person supposed to get experience if they never get the chance to learn?"

With that final statement, Alec sat forward once more to snatch a piece of loose paper and an uncapped pen to scrawl down some information on it.

"I'll have a better schedule printed out when you come back to start. Come back here every Saturday after your shift to get a new schedule for the next week, and talk to me if there are any problems with it so we can work something out." Oh, Danny was ready to cry. His first job was going to be at a _club _close to campus.

"Thank you so much," the halfa gushed as he snagged the paper and stood, a huge grin plastered to his face. "Have a nice day!" Everything was set now. He was going to settle in nicely he-

"Sorry, man, I wasn't watching where.. I… Fenton?" Why, of all places, was _**Dash **_ here?!

"Hey, Dash, didn't expect to see you here," Danny muttered with as much sarcasm and venom as he could muster. He had to crane his head back to even get a look at the guy's face because, fuck, had he grown. Taller, buffer, a much more chiseled face with hints of facial hair a shade darker than his blonde locks covering his cheeks. Yeah, Dash had definitely grown up.

"Yeah," he laughed, "I decided to give this place a shot when I was looking for jobs. Gotta pay for my classes somehow."

Well, the sarcasm definitely flew over his head. The tall blonde pat his palm against the smaller male's shoulder, an _actual, genuine smile _growing on his lips.

"I have to go talk to the manager, though. Nice seein' ya, Fenton."

Danny was left shocked, paralyzed in place as he watched Dash disappear into the room he had just been on. That was not the Dash he knew from high school…

What the fuck?


End file.
